But it was worth standing on a chilly platform for. Once aboard, tables were set with dimly-lit lamps on white tablecloths with Dior embroidered napkins. Guests were treated to a three-course lunch of smoked salmon blinis and capers, followed by volaille farcie aux champignons, and a blackberry and apricot crumble, accompanied by as much Ruinart champagne as the heart desired.
Christian Dior and Blenheim Palace have a history that dates back to 1954 when the Duchess of Marlborough asked Monsieur Dior (a long-time fan of England, his suits were made on Savile Row) to present his autumn/winter couture collection there in aid of the British Red Cross. A friendship between the palace and the French fashion house was struck, and even after Monsieur Dior's death in 1957, his successor, Yves Saint Laurent, presented the Dior collection here again in 1958.
Almost 60 years later, snaking their way through the grand saloon, through to the library and various drawing and state rooms, the models took the exact same route as those shows in 1954 and 1958.
And so it fell under the charge of Lucie Meier and Serge Ruffieux, who have led the design team since Raf Simons's departure. Where else to plunder for inspiration, in a setting like this, than inside the wardrobes of post-war high society ladies? That, and the wanderlust that characterised the period, the desire to travel and for adventure. Clashing layered prints were influenced by English eccentricity - quaint rosebud florals were interspersed with others inspired by the great adventures of explorers and the ideas of Britain overseas and the countries it colonised, like African prints, patterns and embroideries. The British tradition of the hunt manifested via nineteenth century equestrian scenes knitted into jacquard, rustic tweeds, crisp poplin shirting and even gold charms of foxes and rabbits dangling from Lady Dior bags. There was also play on house classics; the bar jacket was deflated with peplums softly gathered and draped over hips, while elsewhere the silhouette was rendered into silky tea dresses.
Another reference to Dior's past was a styling trick endorsed by Monsieur Dior's muse, Mitzah Bricard (the Amanda Harlech to Karl Lagerfeld of her day). She wore silk ribbons wound around her wrists, and it appeared again here this afternoon, visible with sleeves purposefully pushed up, which seemed to neatly capture the derring-do manner of the English woman. Post show, it was tea and cake before a fleet of black Mercedes transported guests back to London for dinner at 5 Hertford Street. The conversation whirred around the rumour that Dior might soon have found its first female creative director; with suggestions now pointing away from Sarah Burton and to Valentino's Maria Grazia Chiuri. An announcement is thought to be made within a fortnight.
And so it fell under the charge of Lucie Meier and Serge Ruffieux, who have led the design team since Raf Simons's departure. Where else to plunder for inspiration, in a setting like this, than inside the wardrobes of post-war high society ladies? That, and the wanderlust that characterised the period, the desire to travel and for adventure. Clashing layered prints were influenced by English eccentricity - quaint rosebud florals were interspersed with others inspired by the great adventures of explorers and the ideas of Britain overseas and the countries it colonised, like African prints, patterns and embroideries. The British tradition of the hunt manifested via nineteenth century equestrian scenes knitted into jacquard, rustic tweeds, crisp poplin shirting and even gold charms of foxes and rabbits dangling from Lady Dior bags. There was also play on house classics; the bar jacket was deflated with peplums softly gathered and draped over hips, while elsewhere the silhouette was rendered into silky tea dresses.
Another reference to Dior's past was a styling trick endorsed by Monsieur Dior's muse, Mitzah Bricard (the Amanda Harlech to Karl Lagerfeld of her day). She wore silk ribbons wound around her wrists, and it appeared again here this afternoon, visible with sleeves purposefully pushed up, which seemed to neatly capture the derring-do manner of the English woman. Post show, it was tea and cake before a fleet of black Mercedes transported guests back to London for dinner at 5 Hertford Street. The conversation whirred around the rumour that Dior might soon have found its first female creative director; with suggestions now pointing away from Sarah Burton and to Valentino's Maria Grazia Chiuri. An announcement is thought to be made within a fortnight.
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